Books like Murder in Devil's Cove

I love this series.

Lily Ivory, who owns a vintage clothing shop in San Francisco, wants to fit in somewhere and conceal her “witchiness”.

She is spiritual and stylish and has a charming sense of humor. Just when life seems normal, she stumbles onto a spooky murder.

This book ticks off all the boxes for a fun and mentally stimulating read. Lily’s familiar is an adorable, witty pig. There’s a sexy myth buster who is enticing. And there’s a powerful warlock who is her nemesis.

Such a fun read!

I love stories set in libraries. They take me back to my first days of reading and checking out books.

Carrie Singleton is the head of programs and events at a local library and is friends with the library’s very own ghost, Evelyn. When Carrie’s estranged father shows up and wants Carrie to help him recover his half of a rare gem heist, she’s conflicted.

When her father winds up in jail for a murder—she hopes he didn’t commit—she’s determined to discover the truth.

This is a delightful and spirited book—pun intended—and, yes, in addition to a wealth of library books, there is an adorable library cat named Smokey Joe.

I so enjoyed this story about water witches that I included it as the book club read in my 4th book.

(Yes, in my books there are teas on Saturday afternoons at Open Your Imagination, a fairy garden shop.)

Before diving into A Spell for Trouble, I had no idea what a water witch was. Like me, the protagonist Aleksandra Daniels didn’t know much about them, either.

To a normal person, they might be considered mermaids, but they are much, much more! Aleksandra visits her aunt and cousins, having only heard the rumors about water witches being magical healers.

When she gets enmeshed in their world, she learns who she is at her core, and she discovers her passion.

I love when a story not only enthralls me but educates me. Truly enjoyable.

Years ago, I met Gigi Pandian at a mystery conference. She is a gifted and spiritual woman. I adore her writing.

In this book, Zoe Faust, an alchemist, moves to the Northwest and discovers a stowaway in her luggage—a live gargoyle named Dorian who can cook French cuisine! Oh, man, wouldn’t you love to have a “familiar” that cooks?

Zoe moved, hoping to put her old life behind her, but she can’t when she discovers her new friend Dorian is turning to stone and only she can save him. 

This story is clever beyond words. FYI, Gigi is a gargoyle expert! If you meet her, ask to see her collection of photographs.

A traumatizing incident that brings teens together, only to be rehashed years later when one of them goes missing during a storm in a secluded location? Megan Miranda’s book hits every mark for a must-read thriller.

I loved the weaved flashbacks, hinting at what happened without giving the full story, even until the end. Knowing enough about who survived—and who must not have—made every flashback fraught with foreboding tension. One of the things I love most in a book is when the story seems complete, and then one tiny extra detail is revealed, completely changing how you think.

I felt like I was there, both in the present at the Outer Banks beach house and in the past, on the banks of the river after the horrible bus crash.

In her Seaside Café Mysteries, Bree Baker has conjured a thoroughly modern tea shop with Surf, Sand, and Tea, a business located in an old Victorian home on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Everly Swan (fun name!) has lots of varieties of iced tea on offer, and two elderly aunts bring some well-plotted family history into the mix. This series gives a modern-day spin to the tearoom enterprise, and this seven-book series ended far too soon for my taste.

Grace Greene writes the ultimate “beach read”—endearing characters, descriptions that put you right there at oceanside, and a poignant blend of emotion and humor. I love how Lilliane, the heroine, discovers courage she never thought she had. A temporary job as a live-in caregiver begins merely as a way to earn money for much-needed home repairs. But her stay in Emerald Isle, NC, becomes a life-changer, not only for her but for the elderly gentleman who soon becomes both friend and mentor. It’s a book about stepping out of your comfort zone and opening your heart to new possibilities no matter your age. And if this novel stirs your heart as it did mine, you won’t want to miss the sequel, A Dancing Tide.

I have tremendous admiration for the way this author created the characters, the epistolary structure, and the gorgeous, surprising, poetic, intimate, riveting prose that seems to effortlessly unravel as if it were the telling of a beautiful dream.

For me, the absolute proof of a novella‘s success is that you are left stunned and begging for more. I do want more, but at the very same time, I’m grateful for what I have and happy to relive it over and over again in my mind. Here is a book you’ll want to return to, so you can meet up again with this collection of unlikely soulmates.

A sea of suspects intertwines in this oceanfront turbulent mystery.

Lucy, the protagonist, lives in an apartment on the 4th floor of the Lighthouse Library. Due to the pouring rain and crashing waves she notices lights that appear to be coming from the beach and a boat in trouble not far from shore. When one of these members of the boat shows up at her book group and then not long after is found washed up on shore, a mystery ensues.

This is one seaworthy read!

Once the first page has been turned, Judge Whedbee’s book (much like Roberts’ and Wellman’s) cannot be put down. His lively tales of shipwrecks, pirates, murders, and ghostly occurrences, are a must-read when visiting a North Carolina beach. In his book you will learn about ships like the Crissie Wright that sank near Beaufort, North Carolina, and a ghost ship that sails the waters of Ocracoke. After my first read of the book, I visited the common grave of the Crissie Wright victims inside Beaufort’s Old Burying Ground and it was there that Whedbee’s words—and my imagination—truly brought the story to life. I can’t imagine going to a North Carolina beach and not being aware of these intriguing tales.